U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) applauded the partnership of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to increase access to preventive dental services for youth in West Virginia through school–community partnerships.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and this program is packed with the kind of preventative measures we need to improve the health of our state,” said Rahall.  “Dental disease is the single most prevalent chronic childhood disease, but it is also almost 100 percent preventable.  We need more public-private collaborations of this kind to help bring easily accessible, preventative health care straight to the children who need it most.” 

The Center for Disease Control recently named Huntington the Nation’s “unhealthiest city” based on various health factors, including poor dental health.  According to the CDC, West Virginia has the highest rate of natural teeth loss in the country:  69.6 percent of the seniors 65 and older have lost 6 or more teeth and 42.9 percent have lost all of their teeth.  This condition often rises as a result of poor oral health and lack of adequate dental care in childhood.  Children with untreated dental problems experience pain and difficulty eating and sleeping and can have trouble adjusting socially and performing in school.

“Good oral health is essential to the overall health and well-being of our children and the future health of our State,” said Rahall.  “With few affordable options for oral health care available, our children’s dental care is often overlooked, leading to poor performance in school and costly health complications later in life.  If we can establish healthy dental habits in West Virginia’s children at an early age, we can greatly increase their chances of maintaining good health overall throughout life.”

The ARC and the Benedum Foundation have collaborated to fund a $500,000 grant for School-Community Partnerships for Children’s Oral Health in West Virginia.  The program will help establish school-based dental clinics for the children of West Virginia and will be managed by the Robert C. Byrd Center for Rural Health at Marshall University.

Congressman Rahall has long fought to provide affordable and accessible health care to the people of West Virginia, including the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) reauthorization bill, which increased access to dental health care for more than 10 million children across the Nation. 

As a House Appalachian Caucus Co-Chairman, Rahall has a long history of supporting the ARC, including co-sponsoring successful legislation to protect and extend the ARC's services for West Virginians through 2011.